Double Fault

5 years later

CHARLES POV

I was either dreaming or heard the sound of giggling. The grogginess of the morning couldn't let me decide. While normally a morning person, yesterday's qualifying session had took it out of me. I wasn't fully recovered from the last race and every movement still felt soar. My body making it very clear it was ready retire after this year.

I naturally reached out beside me like I do every morning, waiting to feel Florence beside me likely reading before the day started but she wasn't there. Just the familiar feeling of our sheets being crinkled where a person way laying earlier.

"Go go go," I heard a faint voice say from across the room. The giggles I thought I heard earlier were confirmed along with the pattering of little feet. I opened my eyes to pure chaos, the perfect way to start my day if you asked me personally.

In a whirl I saw Sebastian throwing himself onto the bed, his knee laying right into my hip. Michelle came calmly lifting herself onto the bed.

"Wake up papa," Michelle giggled as both her and Sebastian threw themselves into my arms.

"It's race day dad, rise and shine," Sebastian yelled.

Gracie, a few steps behind, was clinging to the side of the bed trying to pull herself up. Her 4 year old self still too little to get on the bed. "Hold on," I smiled trying to get my two eldest children to let go of me for a second so I could help Grace.

"Oh no you don't," Florence said with a bright smile from the door. In a flash she went from leaning on the doorframe to running into the room. She scooped up Gracie falling into the family pile of five.

"Charles it's race day," Gracie said with her toddler voice making me smile. In the last month she picked up the habit of calling me by my actual name no matter how hard we tried to get her to say dad again. Along with that, her sass was usually targeted at me. At this point, all Florence and I could do was laugh.

Florence wrapped her arms around all of our children and snuggled into me. "Happy Monaco Grand Prix baby," she said leaning up and kissing me.

Sebastian calling us gross as he squirmed out of our arms and went to jumping on the end of the bed. "It's the perfect start," I replied genuinely taking in the family Florence and I made over the last handful of years.

Michelle now 11 and still the sweetest. Her hobbies of drawing, reading, and swimming always keeping her entertained. I was her biggest fan at the meets.

Sebastian was slamming back into the family pile. A bundle of 7 year old energy having the time of his life whenever he could kart or be at the race track with me. Then surprisingly, a star student in his first two years of grade school. 

Then the lovely Gracie who was snuggled up into Florence. Shy to others but sassy with her family, unable to say her L's properly yet, and obsessed with following around her siblings quizzically each day. She was always keeping us on her toes with personality. Her favorite thing to do this week was helping Florence in the garden.

I did my best to wrap my arms around the pile of Leclercs taking a deep breath. "Our last Monaco team. This feels like the best one yet," I said looking over to Florence who winked at me.

"It gets better," she smiled which made my eyebrows raise. "There's a lovely breakfast waiting for you in the yard if we manage to all get out of bed," Florence said kissing my cheek before standing up.

This cue made Sebastian wiggle free and jump off the bed doing his best reenactment of landing like a superhero. Michelle giving me a hug before getting up. Florence reached for Gracie and picked her up. Gracie looked down at me.